Monday, July 6, 2015

Type 212A Romeo Romei Launched at Fincantieri Muggiano

Fincantieri

Trieste July 4, 2015 - Today, in the presence of the Minister of Justice Andrea Orlando, the Fincantieri shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia) hosted the launching ceremony for the “Romeo Romei” submarine, the last of the four U212A “Todaro” class twin units ordered to Fincantieri by the Central Unit for Naval Armament – NAVARM for the Italian Navy. The ceremony was attended among others by the Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy, Admiral Giuseppe De Giorgi, while Fincantieri was represented by Giuseppe Bono and Vincenzo Petrone, respectively CEO and Chairman, political and local civil authorities. After the launching, outfitting works will be continued on the unit at the Integrated Naval shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia), leading to its delivery scheduled in the second half of 2016. The submarine “Romeo Romei”, as its twin unit “Pietro Venuti” launched last October at the Muggiano shipyard, will feature highly innovative technological solutions. It will be entirely built with amagnetic material, using the most modern silencing techniques to reduce its acoustic signature. “Romei” has a surface displacement of 1,509 tonnes, an overall length of 55.9 meters, a maximum diameter of 7 meters, and can exceed 16 knots underwater. It has a 27-person crew. “Romei” is the 102nd submarine built in the shipyard of Muggiano since 1907, when the Italian Royal Navy’s “Foca” submarine was launched. Since then, this shipyard stands out for naval vessels building, not only for the Italian Navy but also worldwide (Brasil, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark). “Romei” is part of the second pair of submarines to be built in chronological order, and follows about one year the “Pietro Venuti”, currently under construction at the same shipyard in Muggiano. In the Navy’s fleet these vessels, whose delivery is scheduled in 2015 and 2016, will replace two submarines of the “Sauro” class (third series), built in the late 1980s. The submarine building programme is the continuation of the project launched in 1994 in cooperation with the German Submarine Consortium, which has already led to the construction in the past years of six vessels for Germany and two for Italy – the “Todaro” and the “Scirè”. These latter units, delivered by Fincantieri in 2006 and 2007 respectively, are already operating successfully as part of the Italian Navy’s fleet. Like the other vessels in the series, the “Romei” features highly innovative technological solutions. It is built entirely of amagnetic material, using the most modern silencing techniques to reduce its acoustic signature. Additionally, it is equipped with a silent propulsion system based on fuel cell technology, producing energy through an oxygen-hydrogen reaction independently from external oxygen, ensuring a considerably higher submerged than the conventional battery-based systems. It also features a fully integrated electro-acoustic and weapon-control system, as well as a modern platform automation system. “Romei” has a surface displacement of 1,509 tonnes, an overall length of 55.9 meters, a maximum diameter of 7 meters, and can exceed 16 knots underwater. It has a 27-person crew.

Romeo Romei was born in Castelnuovo (Cattaro) on 14 August 1906. Student at the Naval Academy of Livorno since December 1924, in 1928 he received his appointment as midshipman, passing to Sub-Lieutenant on 1 July 1929, while embarked as navigating officer on the cruiser “Trieste”. Promoted to Lieutenant in 1933, he requested to pass on submarines and commanded the Perla, participating in special missions during the Spanish Civil War. He was called back home from the naval base in Tobruk on 10 June 1940 with the declaration of the War, taking the lead of the submarine Pier Capponi and distinguishing himself in audacious and successful combat missions, so much so to be defined the "abysses corsair". In a war mission led on 10 November 1940 in the Strait of Sicily (50 miles SE from Malta), he attacked a British naval formation - consisting of an aircraft carrier and two battleships convoyed by several destroyers – heavily, probably hitting a battleship. On 31 March 1941, the unit left Messina for a mission, heading towards the central Mediterranean Sea. It was torpedoed by the British submarine Rorqual, sinking about 17 miles south of Stromboli. Among the crew there were no survivors. Other decorations: • Bronze Medal for Military Valour (Western Mediterranean, 22 June 1940) • Bronze Medal for Military Valour (Mediterranean, 10 June 1940 – 12 April 1941)